The most powerful and performant Paceman, the John Cooper Works edition comes out as surprising, being priced terribly close to the F20 M135i BMW 1 Series. That is a pertinent notice from the guys from Autocar and they decided to see whether it's worth it to invest in the MINI over the more powerful BMW.
The Paceman JCW has a 1.6-liter, 218 HP and 280 Nm (206 lb-ft) of torque 4-cylinder engine. It comes with a standard 6-speed gearbox and is supposed to bring back the kart-feel the original Mini had.
On the other hand, the Bimmer has a 3-liter inline 6-cylinder engine with 320 HP and 450 Nm (332 lb-ft) of torque. With its extra 100 HP the 1er will do 100 km/h (62 mph) in just under 5 seconds, almost 2 seconds faster than the JCW Paceman.
The amounts of money you're going to need to buy either one of these two are almost identical so, where does the MINI justify its price tag? It doesn't have a better interior, and it's not more practical. The option range is about the same so no difference there.
The guys from Autocar say the MINI is a waste of money when you can get the M135i but we think not. The MINI is designed for a different kind of customer. It's built for someone who loves the MINI brand and wants to own the best it can offer.
Also, the Paceman will be costing you a lot less on insurance and taxes due to its 1.6-liter engine. Furthermore, the fuel consumption difference will be felt over time, even though it's a mere 8 mpg ( 3 l/100km).
We admit, the M135i is a lot better and brings more value for the pound but the Paceman aims at a completely different segment.
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